Choose your own assessment

Twitter’s a real haven for ideas for education.

One of the things I picked up from the educators I follow was a “choose your own assessment” type of, well, assessment for the students.

I liked the idea, and I didn’t really expect to try it out so soon, but, you know, you gotta listen to the kids, and at that time, they were STRESSED to the moon and back with all the work they had to do.

SO. Instead of the assessment I had originally planned for them, I added a choice and let them decide which they wanted to do. I honestly wasn’t ready for a full-blown freedom of assessment choice, so I had to limit the choices or else face the consequences (of my actions and from my boss haha). The condition was that what they choose would be what the entire class would do.

The discussion turned heated among the students, and I was awe-struck at how well they argued their points. We ended up with no resolution YET, but it gave me an idea for a third choice, one which I believe the students will agree on and which will still test all the skills we’re targeting.